In LTE (Long Term Evolution) cellular systems, as set forth in the LTE specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), mobile terminals (where a terminal is referred to in LTE systems as user equipment or UE) connect to a base station (referred in LTE systems as an evolved Node B or eNB) that provides connectivity for the UE to other network entities of the LTE system that connect to an external network such as the internet. Providing such network connectivity involves the setting up of bidirectional data pathways, referred to as bearers, between the different components of the LTE system. These bearers are set up when the UE transitions from an idle state to a connected state and, for reasons of efficiency, are torn down when the UE is idle. Some UE applications, however, may involve frequent small data transfers where the UE transitions to an idle state after each such transfer. Repeatedly setting up and tearing down the bearers in these situations leads to a great deal of signaling overhead. Reducing that signaling overhead is an objective of the present disclosure.